


Festival of Rejuvination

by Sociopathbrony



Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Genre: Gen, mechanicsburg - Freeform, spring festival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 03:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22029541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sociopathbrony/pseuds/Sociopathbrony
Summary: The traditions of Mechanicsburg's spring festival changed drasticlly over time, being under new rule of the Heterodyne boys. Unfortunately  the efforts of some stuborn entities kept them alive, dragging an innocent anthropologist in with it.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15
Collections: Girl Genius Spark-Exchange Yuletide 2019





	Festival of Rejuvination

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy. I tried. I really liked the idea, sort of merged a few prompts together, but hope it worked as i imagined.

"Ow! Stop- get off me! I will tell Agatha either way and she'll know what this is" Gil held up the rectangular object with buttons all over and a mesh cover on a cylindrical offshoot. "Or she's going to know the jägers are  _ keeping secrets _ from her." He crossed his arms grinning smugly as the three that had been trying to claw him down shared fear stricken looks.

"Vellll…" debated the first to recover. "No, hmm." He turned to the other two. "Zo if she just knows ve're keeping tings, she still von't be able to mess vit de plan-."

"Shot op about de plan" the second one shoved both hands over his mouth. 

"So she'll know you're hiding something and that you have secret plans you know she wouldn't approve of." He raised an eyebrow and his arm as the third tried jumping for the device.

"Gott's damn it." They grumbled.

They collectively grumbled at their foiled plans and followed gil the rest of the way to Agatha, at least make sure he didn't spill anything against his word. It was a very loose word, but 'or' still counted for  _ something. _ They all entered the lab she'd started her new project for the oncoming spring Festival of Rejuvenation. She spotted them from her platform and started lowering it immediately. "Gil! Did you finish scoping the east tunnels already? I'd have thought the giant tunnel asp colonies would give you more trouble."

"Oh no. These three helped deal with them fine. But then i found this" he held it out. "And they started freaking out."

"Oooooo looks kind of like a recorder" she bodily scrunched in excitement. She took it gingerly in its sensitive state and turned it around trying to figure out the purpose of all the buttons. "Ah here we go, is it fine if?" She asked the jägers pouting behind Gil. Jägers freaking out was hardly a thing to take lightly.

"Ja ja, chust get it over vit." Replied the second with a wave of their hand. 

"If ve're lucky, mebbe she don't know how to use soch an old ting" the third whispered.

She took a panel off the wall and pulled out some wires seemingly there  _ to be  _ pulled out and hooked it up. The power button pressed, a little green light near the bottom flickered on. She scrolled through saved recordings to the beginning. "Ok, ready?"

Gil stood in perplexed astonishment. "That was quick. I still don't know what half those do. How-?"

"Students had these older recorder all the time in TPU." She clicked start.

"Dere goes de plan."

" _ I've finally arrived at my second destination. Years of studying regional culture finally paid off, I have my first stop for comparison on my Spring Festival slash Celebration slash et cetera europa wide experience, Mechanicsburg. Hehehe. Oh this is lovely, great. It'll be great. Finally getting to just directly compare celebrations from experiance. And recording them instead of writing! This thing really is useful, thank you Beetleburg.  _

Any ways. Europa wide Spring Festival experience for cultural comparison journey. First note, Mechanicsburg similarly has an incredibly early spring festival. There's still snow patches everywhere and not a single budding tree in sight. It is technically some bit further north, but not that much. It looks like they've already started the festival too. I see cake, so more later.

  * _● ●_



I've taulked to shum of de- some of the locals. Wow. Who knew snails were so versatile. They all seem incredibly excited for the ‘main event’. Firstly though, it seems their spring fest includes a sort of feast of some remaining winter supplies as the beginnings of the spring crops come in. I've also come across groups of people dancing with decorated chains, i can only assume lightweight ones otherwise wow that'd be heavy, but I haven't gotten the chance to interview any of them yet. There was also that one person I could've sworn was a lady jager. The common enough green skin, teeth, claws, a straight up jager insignia on her pants, like, I'm almost certain. Weirdly enough though I haven't seen all that many of them around? 

  * ● ●



Some dancers spotted me while I was eating my snail cake at the nicely set up tables, must've overheard me mentioni b them cause the ones with the jäger, who was in fact a jäger came over. They were very amiable and informative. The Festival of Rejuvenation they called it. Lifting everyone's winter trodden spirits. The jäger kept giggling at that. They explained about feasting on the  _ last, _ in fact, of the winter supply so that what comes in is all fresh. And of the dancing in the streets, both performers and non, while it's still cold out to warm up in anticipation of spring. Beetleburg had a similar concept as that, but rather than the dancing, had their relative ideas on warmth and immersion etc. Just look back to notes for specifics. Any ways, I had also asked the jäger why I'm seeing so few others of hers around, none really though not that I'm particularly complaining. ‘Scared?’ she said and yeah, duh of course. Your  _ jägers _ . I came here for the cultural experience, not to get eaten. I didn't say this out loud. I'm not stupid. Other than now, but im sure shes well out of- Ah!

Ho, iz a leetle touristy vun, innit?

Anthropologist, actually. Can I help you with something?

Ve’s chust lookink fer sumtink to easts, ja?

Hm. A leetle bit of butter, a little bit of garlic und brains iz delicious.

Mine?

Hehe. He sqveaks.

Not hyu. Pshhhh jägers dun eat pipple.

So what-

Most ennyting has a brain dese days.

Wait, why’ve-

Ho nose, ve gots be be going now, ja?

Ho yes brudder come along.

What’re..? Oh gods what happened? Where was I? Oh. I-I had asked that lady jäger about… about. Fuck.

  * ● ●



I could've absolutely sworn they were going to eat my brain. I could feel it. I could feel their absolute bloodlust leaking out trying to tear my head open, squishing it like a sad grape under a steamroller. Anyways. The jäger lady, what she said about the few jägers around, it was something like that they were helping set up for the festival. This was a pre-fest she said. Which makes me sort of apprehensive, sort of excited for the actual fest. What would it be like with this being the pre fest. And with most of the  _ jägers _ setting it up? With the jägers. Setting up. Brains? Oooooohhhhhh fuck. This is a sham. I swear this is a sham isn't i shouldn't talk about this out loud i probably shouldn't have theorized. Now I've got it stuck in my head. Shoot the more i think of it the more it seems reasonable. It  _ is _ Mechanicsburg. Changed or not. Ahhhhhh ffffff  _ changed.  _ They  _ are _ Heterodynes. Could all just be a massive- main event. Ohhh we're all going to die.

  * ● ●



I went further into the city. Past the whole ‘pre-fest’ area. It's quieter further from the city… foyer. Whatever it's called. I dont think they noticed eiaaaaaahhhhhhh-!!!!!

  * ● ●



Shit. So the recorder turned off in the fall. I guess if any of them were to not save, that'd be the one I'd choose. It doesn't seem broken though, so that's good. At this point, technically this is still related to the spring fest but better yet, I'd like to leave proof that I existed. That'd be nice for once. Anyways. The floor just suddenly opened up into a ditch and it's pitch black down here. Oh, wait, I think I found a wall. For the sake of exposing this, im going to leave this on, maybe periodically save it for anyone who finds this as the last of my remains in the future. If im right, this needs to get out. If the Heyerodyne boys really are just putting on a sham to draw in tourists to use as guinea pigs or something, people should know.

Chikchikchikchikchikchik

What's that? Oh! I found an opening. I'm going to have to feel out i guess.

Ffft

Huh. That's incredibly coincidental. A light came on. Not great but at least I can see the floor and walls for a few feet. Right, so, following.

  
  
  


Eugh

  
  


  * ● ●



  
  


Ehhhhl sssaauu 

  
  
  


aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh

  
  
  
  


Eh eeee 

  
  
  
  
  
  


So its been going on for a while. A long while. There's only ever one light on. Sometimes there's very distant voices. I can't get what they're saying but I know its bad, I know they're in distress at least. And I think I'm getting closer. There hasn't been any direction to go but follow the path either. The walls have been slimey for the past what I think is around 5-20 minutes. Time either moves slower or faster when terrified in a dark unknown tunnel under the city of a well known family of terrible people. At least I’m pretty sure they still are. The tunnel started going up recently too. It's getting kind of difficult) especially with how large this recorder is. Like its not huge, but I can not wait till its developed more. Aaaaand i'm rambling. Great way to distract myself from the fear im pushing deep deep down, yep. I'm going to shut up now. I think I can nearly make words out.

  
  


et ee go!

Maybe not super accurately but that did sound like let me go.

Really? I thought it sounded more like the delightful happy screams of my willing tunnel residents.

Who was that!?

Ohhohohoho You'll figure that out. Oh look! Your here!

Chkssshhhhhh

What the…

THE DOOR HOLD THE DOOR!

What!?

Sssshhhhchk

No!

Damn it, the one chance!

One chance?

We've been here for three thump days! Stupid thump castle won't let us leave.

Stop it, your going to break something again.

Wait three days, what for? No, one second.

  * ● ●



Ok go on.

I don't know! I came for the festival's snail bread. My grandparents had told me about the one time they got their hands on it and it was peaceful so I figured I'd finally be able to come down and maybe get some before they die.

Same here, but slightly different.

Really? How many of you were lured here by the festival?

  * ● ●
  * ● ●



Tshzzzzzzhhhhhtsss

  * ● ●



What in the gods’ names is that!?

Oh holy- tzzzhzhhhtz

  * ● ●



Oh thank finally. Everyone al-

  * ● ●



_ Tunk-thunk _

_ Fffftzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz* _

  * ● ●



The recorder clicked off at the end of it's audio, leaving the room, most notably two, in stunned silence.

“Tell me” Agath stood, eyebrow raised high. She faced the jägers with the face of a Heterodyne.

“Ho, hyu know vhat, hym not entirely very sure.” The third rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Castle? Have anything to add?” she frowned menacingly at the ceiling.

“Wellll it's hardly any fun when towns don't fear the Heterodynes, especially trotting around doing good. A few rumours spread here and there certainly helped slow things down. Maybe even turn those pesky boys towards a  _ better _ way once they saw their futility.”

“So you what, kidnapped tourists, tortured them and set them free to tell of the terrors?” She folded her arms, twirling a wrench in her grip just in case.

“That sounds about right. Imagine! Being the epitome of Heterodyne creation turned to being a plaything for lowly tales. So unfeared as to be  _ attacked! _ By red fire how  _ could _ that happen. In the old days it wasnt as bad but with raids down during winter, well, one had to get the other towns' spirits up somehow. Less tourists then. Certainly troublesome that way."

“No. No you are absolutely hot doing that again. Not happening,  _ any _ of you” she swung the wrench to gloss over the jägers. “They  _ came _ here for the fun festivities and snail cake, don't you dare ruin it for them when we could  _ really  _ use the extra funds.” 

The three jägers put their hands up in surrender and the castle let out a deep sigh, or at least the sound of it accompanied by shifting tiles.

“So, Gil. You have those tunnel plans, yes?”


End file.
